DETROIT — In what might as well be dubbed a "must-win" game for the Nationals, Jim Riggleman will trot out a lineup that should appease plenty of fans who have been clamoring for a Willingham-Bernadina-Morse outfield.

Congrats, you're getting it today. Nyjer Morgan takes a seat on the bench this afternoon against Tigers right-hander Jeremy Bonderman. Cristian Guzman is serving as today's DH, so Adam Kennedy is starting at second base. Ivan Rodriguez is also getting today off — no surprise, since they obviously want him behind the plate tomorrow night working with Stephen Strasburg. Wil Nieves will attempt to hit his way out of an 0-for-19 slump.

Luis Atilano takes the mound for the Nationals, trying to salvage one win in this series in Detroit. A loss today would mean a 1-5 interleague road trip and a new low-point for the season (five games under .500).

You still need table setters at the top of the line up. Riggleman would be better off batting Willingham 2nd because he does WALK. Followed by WALKING machine AD. Dunn doesn't hit well with RISP or runners on base period this year. Too many dingers with no men on. Desmond and Morse should come behind Zimmerman who would be after Dunn. Be better off with Kennedy leading off. Guz never WALKS and IS in a deep SLUMP. Seems like the stubborn Riggleman is still there waiting for his chance to throw Willie Harris or JMax onto his lineup card.

@ Anonymous: Right on! Top of the lineup is supposed to be for guys who get on base—that's JW & The Big Guy. Don't know the stats, but seems that Desmond does wonders with men on base—The Kid might end up with 80 RIBBIES this year. You could make 2 lineups out of these guys–not sure of the sabermetrics of that. Mark needs to check with Davey Johnson. Wonder what ol'Davey thinks about batting Wee Willie at DH???

To pick up on a couple of comments here – why *doesn't* Gonzalez get more playing time generally, and more starts specifically? Defensively, he's at least as good at 2d base as Kennedy, and offensively, their lines are pretty similar this year, with a slight edge to Gonzo tho with fewer ABs.

figured this would be a good entry to share a fascinating graphic I saw on MLB network last night– in interleague play at AL parks so far this year, the DH for the AL team is hitting .368 vs. .187 for the NL team's DH. (I may not have the exact numbers, but they were something close to that.) AL teams plan for a DH, whereas NL teams use a utility infielder or 4th outfielder to fill the spot. Big advantage for the AL in those interleague games. In the NL park where the pitchers hit, the NL's average is higher than the AL's, but still below the Mendoza line because pitchers are crappy hitters. So not that big an advantage for the NL. No measurement of pitchers' success rate at laying down sacrifice bunts.

On the team's biggest concern…I got to this party late – two things worth highlighting, in addition to what was already said. The first is injuries. I have to believe that the Nats have a medical staff as good as anybody's, though I would certainly make sure that there is no question about players not receiving MRI (please!) as part of their physical examinations. That said, as a fan I can't help noting that the Nats seem to suffer more unexpected injuries than other teams – I don't think that's just me as a fan overreacting to my own team. Some of it is, I'm sure, just the fact that the Nats are (or have been) in a position of trying to catch lightning in a bottle with players who look like they've been overlooked by other teams – and when you do that, sometimes you get burned. However, I think there is work to be done, just with getting players to be more frank about their condition. From the player's perspective, I can understand the impulse to play through pain. But the last series provides management with a perfect counterpoint – if I were in management, I'd take every player aside, and talk to him about Austin Kearns: Did he do himself any favors by trying to gut it out? Maybe they have already done this, and maybe it wouldn't work anyway, but that's about as much as I can see from the outside.The second concern, and more of a 'baseball' concern, is that the bullpen's workload may be difficult to sustain. It isn't as obvious now, because they aren't getting the lead as often, but it will be an ongoing concern if the Nats stay near the pennant race. It isn't as if Riggleman can tell all of his starters to go seven or eight innings, but this team will be better off if they can get two innings out of their relievers from time to time, just so that they don't use most of the 'pen when the starter goes six innings. I saw Burnett go two innings recently – I'd like to see more of that, because the back end of our bullpen is actually pretty good now. I think it's great to see Storen-Clippard-Capps in the last three innings, but I think they'll be more effective if other guys occasionally work into that mix, and if they can get to Capps with fewer outings of <1 inning.

Mark, about your 12:46 update:Two of those 3 stats you just listed for Gonzo from last year aren't really that different from Kennedy's for this year (OBP is the exception, and Gonzo made up for fewer walks with better slugging). If that makes Gonzo not "an everyday player in the big leagues," what exactly does it make the 7-year-older Kennedy? I think you're right about Gonzo, but I think the fact that he even looks like an attractive option at 2d base underscores the Nats' weakness there–they've got two aging vets and one so-so bench player.

Hey Mark,Technically, Atilano did exactly what you said he should do:"Atilano has managed to hold the Tigers to two runs through four. At this rate, he may be able to afford giving up anything more if his team is going to have a chance at winning today and avoiding the sweep." (emphasis added).

Livo has a .245 BABIP with an 81.2 LOB% and a 5.16 xFIPAtilano has a .276 BABIP with a 70.1 LOB% and a 5.34 xFIPSay what you want about sabrmetrics, but those numbers tell the story of 2 pitchers who were getting VERY lucky. Regression was simply bound to occur.Also, Mark, do you have any feel for how much longer Nieves is going to be with this club? At this point, he only serves as a backstop and an out in the lineup. Surely Burke could be more capable as Pudge's backup, no?

Pardon my French, but this game is f***ing frustrating. Looks like it may only be worth it to watch one out of every five games. If we don't take 4 of 6 in the upcoming homestand and then 2 of 3 from the stinkin' Baltimorons, I'm going to be livid!!!

Wow, I guess we are an average team, I was really hoping for more. Alas, we are definitely better than '09 & '08 but it still doesn't console me. This is frustrating! One out of every five games? I need more

Regression to the mean, my friends. The Nats were not as good as their early record. The starting pitching and defense is really bad. Outside Zim, Dunn and Hammer there's no pop in the lineup. Guzman and Morgan have regressed terribly.

I really wished Livan could have pitched the first game of this series. A match-up between him and Scherzer may have given us a chance to get one of these games. Verlander has improved every year and Bonderman is hitting his stride after a major injury. It wasn't long ago and the Tiger's were at the crossroads the Nats are at now. We have to keep pushing forward. The pitching needs to be addressed now, the defense a close second. We cannot waste the positive buzz that SS has generated. Let's hope that Rizzo puts a plan in action soon.